On Christmas morning, stirring sounds were heard around 7:00 with three heads popping in the door right at 7:30. Ella informed the Lewis party members that we had to complete the “ceremonial” part of the morning by making beds, brushing teeth and hair, sitting in order on the stairs for pictures and waiting for the “go” signal. Dessie came first off the block and squealed when she saw the shiny new bike! Santa came through beautifully. Ella was hugging her huge polar bear, Olena climbed on top of her activity box, Kayla climbed on her box and Dessie took aim with her crossbow. There was a lot of squealing and unwrapping and videotaping. I think one of the more memorable moments of the morning was Kelvin’s response to his gift. In Reber girl fashion, he squealed, “A NEW PHONE, A NEW PHONE, A NEW PHONE!” Touch screen. No Data. Still, Kelvin’s wish came true in the form of a “dumb” smart phone. The Christmas magic can still be captured by a sixteen-year-old!
I found a new grill for sale over Thanksgiving. Since we had to put Stephen’s grill to rest this fall, it seemed like a great idea to get him a new one for Christmas. Unfortunately, I had to approve the purchase so I couldn’t surprise him with it. I had to dig a little deeper to find a great surprise. After Ella completed reading the Book of Mormon, we decided to read the illustrated version to help give him a firmer understanding of the stories. We only had one copy though and Stephen complained multiple times that he wished we had more copies instead of passing it around. Done! I bought copies for every member of our family. Even Kayla is now taking turns actually reading the scriptures. It was a small gift with a big impact. We are also enjoying the grill, which Stephen set up over the break with Kayla as his helper. Finally, I bought Stephen a copy of the movie, “Man of Steel,” which kicked off a new Superman obsession over the break. All of our girls are now familiar with Superman I, II and IV.
Lauren
Christmas morning is magical—the fruition of a lot of work and effort on my part! So I actually enjoy watching my family find the surprises I’ve found over the months leading up to Christmas. I was especially excited to unveil the marshmallow guns. After two trips to Bass Pro shop this year, at least three of my family members noted the marshmallow guns. It seemed like a fun idea for a family activity so I bought three pink guns and signed the card: From Daddy! He loves a little credit. Unfortunately, the marshmallow guns did not live up to expectations. They take a LOT of work to pump and sometimes the marshmallows get stuck in the shaft. I’m considering using something else as ammunition.
Stephen also created a surprise for me this year, which can be very difficult to do since I find receipts and clean in the corners. So I was thrilled to open an electric kettle. It has proved to be one of my favorite presents of all time. I can enjoy hot chocolate and serve it to several people with just the touch of a button. We put it to work Christmas morning and enjoyed cinnamon rolls a la Jo Rae and grapefruit topped off with hot chocolate or stuff in a bucket.
Finally, for years my mom has displayed a plush Nativity set designed and made by Aunt Maris. This year, she asked Maris to make me my own set. I LOVE it! I am so excited to own a “Maris” original. Plus, the idea of displaying it for years to come makes me feel very connected to my own traditions as a child. I’d say that Christmas 2013 was very kind to me.
Ella by Ella
Christmas was great. I liked all of my gifts. My most exciting moment was coming down the stairs and seeing Marshmallow for the first time (her big stuffed polar bear). Grandma also made me a blanket out of my baby clothes and that was really, really special. After we opened presents, I liked curling up with Marshmallow and Bubbleberry (my surprise caterpillar) and watching Monsters University and Despicable Me 2 with Kelvin and Eddie in the toy room. We were having so much fun, we almost watched movies all day!
Kayla by Kayla
My favorite Christmas present was my new bear, Marshmallow, from Ella. I also love my new bike. (Daddy took off the training wheels immediately and we are using the break to practice!)
Dessie by Dessie
I got a Flying Fairy even though I didn’t ask for one. I love it. (Unfortunately, the flying fairies bit the dust after Day 1!) I got a new bike like Kayla. I wanted my training wheels off but Mommy says that I am not quite tall enough. And I love Rainbow Star (my unicorn from Ella). Plus, I got Lucky Charms all for myself.
Olena
The timing of Christmas morning was perfect for baby Olena. She woke up just in time to get her picture of the stairs and was able to take part in most of the morning’s activities. She spent most of Christmas morning trying to eat the wrapping paper. She also loved finding dropped M&M’s and cereal. Her mouth was covered in chocolate before her first nap of the morning. Luckily, I saved her before she tried to eat an orange peel. She is also at an age where she can pull herself up and so her “big” present was perfect for her! She spends a great deal of time playing with all of the moving parts and opening and closing all of the doors. She also loved her new little baby doll. She expressed her love by eating (possibly kissing) the baby’s face!
Lewis Fam Favs by Grandpa Lewis
After the girls opened their presents, Ed & Kelvin joined the fun: a nice watch for Ed and a racquet for Kelvin and a ukulele. Then Kelvin saw his last box and started to squeal and jump for joy, “A NEW PHONE!” Touch screen, no data. Lauren helped me with present buying and so LaCinda had a good present morning including a new “Elf on the Shelf” for the Lewis household. A highlight occurred when Lauren said that we needed to see a video on her computer. Diana produced and directed a short, inspiring video present for LaCinda—all the Lewis children participated in raising money for Acenda and in the video the details were given—the “Beat’em Stephen” collected money for Acenda, Annie did a fund raising run in North Carolina, CJ & Ben did a dinner fund raiser, Kelvin donated his recent soccer referring money, Ed, and Diana matched her recent Taco Bell and Krispie Kreme purchases. The video brought tears to LaCinda—a present that will last a long, long time.
On With Jennie
After a breakfast of waffles and buttermilk caramel syrup using the new waffle iron (Stephen’s present) and grapefruits, we joined a Google Hang-Out with connections from Alpine, Provo and Gilbert to talk with Jennie. We had a great time with each family giving short updates then Jennie giving spiritual thoughts and a testimony to end the call. As Diana described “this was the most spiritual” family call we have ever had. Getting a little choked up, Jennie shared that missionary work is hard, but worth it. She is an inspiration for all of us to increase our efforts to share the gospel. She really emphasized the need for member support. There was some laughter too, of course. For instance, Diana and Doug couldn’t help making fun of Mom’s position as she watched Jennie—very intense! I was really grateful to spend a few minutes speaking solo with Jennie on the phone. She tells me that I’ve nabbed the title of best sibling writer and package sender! Yes!
It was tempting to consider staying in our pajamas to watch movies for the rest of our Christmas day, but since the Lewis crew was leaving very early the next morning, we decided to make the most of our time together. First we (meaning the dads and all of the kids minus baby Olena) hit the roller rink with what seemed to be an entire Jewish congregation. (I blame Stephen for the lack of pictures at this event.) We returned home for a ham and corn chowder dinner to warm us up for our evening snow tubing activity at the Texas Motor Speedway (about 20 minutes to the west of Flower Mound). Olena and Grandma stayed at home to keep warm. Olena was terrible for her sitter. She will need more practice being left behind. The rest of the group had lots of fun on the man-made snow hill with a few snowball fights followed by the Lights Drive around the Speedway. Dessie was undaunted by the size of the hill and would race ahead of the group to get to the top of the slide! The tubes were heavy, so an adult had to help her carry it up! She went again and again, long past everybody else’s breaking point. Ella directed the creation of a snow igloo wall. There were tears when Ed and Kelvin’s snowball escapades caused a portion of it to fall over. They were duly punished to slave labor in the creation of more snow bricks. We returned to help get the Lewis family packed, drink hot chocolate and say good night to our wonderful visitors. We love showcasing our southern hospitality and hope for more Christmas guests in the future. We had a great time! We sadly sent them home with morning donuts, grapefruits and the waves of our white Kleenexes! I heard Kelvin again complain about the size of the vehicle as they backed out of the driveway.
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